This invention relates to shock absorbing pads for missiles disposed in a launch tube and more particularly to such a pad with a looped fiber ring disposed therein.
Shock absorbing pads are installed in missile launch tubes to maintain alignment, mitigate shock and vibration and provide lateral support to the missile during launch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,211 describes a similar arrangement with a continuously acting inner sheet and this application is an improvement thereon. It provides for joining the pads in a continuous ring without fasteners between the pad portions, and also provides a means of externally controlling the pad force-deflection characteristics.